New Believers.

The simplest answer is that we were all born sinners.  Before we even committed our first sin, we were sinners in the eyes of God (Romans 3:23, Psalms 51:5).  You see, Adam and Eve were created sinless and pure and placed in the Garden of Eden.  We’re sure that you know the story of how they were tempted to eat of the fruit that God forbad them to eat.  This was their first act of disobedience and therefore the very moment that sin entered their lives.  Sin, quite simply, is disobedience to God.  That act of sin polluted their pure nature and immediately brought separation between them and God, because God cannot and will not fellowship with sin.  Man now had a new nature and that natural is known as the “sinful nature”.

Of course your question must be, “What does all of that have to do with me?”  “I wasn’t even there when they sinned!”  So true, but because everything that God created was born to produce after its own kind, when Adam and Eve gave birth to children, they were all born with this “sinful nature”.  They were all born with a polluted nature and therefore could not fellowship with God.  Sin passed on to all men through the sin of one man (Romans 5:12).

This could be a very daunting thought, but we have some good news for you.  As much as man desires to know his God and be able to fellowship with Him, do you know that God desires this fellowship as well?  God did not want to remain separated from man, so He made a way for man to enter into His presence again.  The only way that man could come to God, was if his sin was covered.  Sin can only be covered by the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).  Therefore, God lovingly instructed the Priests to shed the blood of bulls and goats as a sacrifice for their sins and the sins of the people.  Once this was done, their sins were covered for an entire year and they could fellowship with God.  But this ritual had to be repeated every year (Hebrews 9:7-14).

But, it gets better!  Jesus Christ came to reverse the curse of sin upon man and to reconcile man to God (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).  He was tested in all the ways that Adam was, but He remained sinless till His death on the Cross (Hebrews 4:15).  Since the blood of bulls and goats could only cover sin for a year, God had to introduce a plan to not only cover man’s sin, but to take it away.  To remove the “sinful nature” and give man an opportunity to live the way that Adam would have lived if he had never sinned.  Jesus Christ came as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World (John 1:29).  His blood had to be shed so that we can be saved.  Therefore, whosoever would believe in Him and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour will be saved (delivered) from sin and the wages of sin, which is everlasting destruction (John 3:16, Romans 6:23).  Jesus Christ made it possible for us to be Born Again, but this time, we are born of the Spirit of God and we have the ability to live like a son of God (John 3:1-8, John 1:12). He made a way for us to be reconciled to God (Ephesians 2:13, Hebrews 10:22).  He made a way for Almighty God to become our Father (Galatians 4:5-7).  He made a way for us to join the family of God (Romans 8:15-16).

Now that you understand why you need a New Birth experience, I’m sure that you would want to be sure that you are saved.  The steps to salvation are simple.  You need to acknowledge that you are a sinner because you inherited a sinful nature (Romans 3:23).  You need to believe with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of the world, because He alone qualified to solve the sin problem. Then you need to confess your faith with your mouth (Romans 10:9-10).  The Bible says “ Whosoever shall call on the Name of the Lord shall be saved!” (Acts 2:21).  Welcome to God’s Family!

Your next step of obedience to your Heavenly Father is Water Baptism.  Water Baptism means to be entirely immersed or submerged in water.  Water Baptism is one of the 1st principles to fulfill as a believer (Mark 16:16).  Jesus Himself was baptized by John the Baptist as an example to us (Matthew 3:13-15).  It is important to know that Baptism does not wash away sins, if that was possible then every time we take a bathe we would be sin free.  We must first repent of our sins in order to qualify for Water Baptism (Acts 2:38).   Of course, this means that an infant is not a candidate for water baptism, as is taught in some circles, since they are not mature enough to confess their belief or exercise genuine repentance.  Baptism is an outward demonstration of a decision that we have already made in our hearts.  It is a public declaration that you have decided to follow Jesus and that you have no intention of turning back.  When you enter the water, you identify with the death and burial of Jesus Christ.  It demonstrates your decision to lay down the old man and all of his ways.  When you emerge from the water, you identify with the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  You rise in newness of life and you are now ready to live a victorious life as a Christian (Romans 6:3-8, Ephesians 4:22-23, Colossians 3:9-10).

Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues is a sign of your progress as a believer.  Baptism in the Holy Spirit takes your Christianity to a whole new level.  The Holy Spirit is our helper.  He is our comforter.  He is our guide.  Jesus said that He is the one that will lead us into all truth (John 14:16-18).  The Holy Spirit works together with Word of God that we read and hear and He constantly reminds us of how God wants us to live as believers.  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit in us that we are able to successfully walk in the spirit and not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-18).  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit and become more Christ like (Galatians 5:22-23).  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to pray in agreement with the will of God for our lives (Romans 8:26).  It is by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to overcome the world (1 John 4:4).  The baptism in the Holy Spirit is not just for a select few who are considered special to God, it is for every believer (Romans 8:5-13).  How can you make this experience a part of your life?  Simply believe that you are a candidate for this baptism because you have been born again, then invite the Holy Spirit to come and fill you and wait for Him.  He wants to fill you and He wants to give you a new prayer language (tongues) (Luke 11:11-13, Acts 2:1-4).

Prayer is an essential part of the believer’s life.  Much of our spiritual growth and progress occurs as we spend quality time in the presence of God.  God is your Father and you need to learn how to express your heart to Him.  His ears are always opened to your prayers (1 Peter 3:12).  It is important to set aside a special time and meeting place with the Lord and to commit to that time.  Once you turn up, He will always meet you there.  Jesus taught the disciples that whenever they desired to pray, they should start out by honouring and worshipping the Father.  He said “Hallowed by Thy Name”.  It is an excellent practice to enter His presence with Thanksgiving and Praise and an expression of love to Him as your Father (Matthew 6:9-13).  After this, you can make your petitions to Him, followed again by thanksgiving.  (Philippians 4:4-7).  It is important to attend our Corporate Prayer meeting as well.  Many learn the art of prayer by joining with other believers to cry out unto God.

As a new born babe in Christ, you need spiritual food.  The Word of God is your food (1 Peter 2:2).  The more you feed on the Word, the faster you will grow.  It is recommended that you begin your Bible Reading from the Gospel of John.  This gospel teaches about relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Ghost more than any other gospel.  It teaches us how to love the Trinity and each other.  You will find that many times as you read the Word of God, God will open up your understanding to know how to relate the scriptures to your own life (2 Timothy 2:15).  To add to your study of the Word, it is important that you also attend our Bible Study classes.  The Word of God is taught with simplicity in a casual family-like atmosphere and many become skillful in not just studying the Word, but they learn how to eat it, digest it and glean the spiritual nutrients from it.